Coin bank



Filed Jan. 11, 1949 COIN BANK C. A. THOMPSON Arran/vagas Patented Aug.7, 1951 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFF-ICEV COIN BANK Application January 1l,1949, Serial No. 70,185

(Cl. E232-) 1 Claim. l

This invention relates to an improved and attractive form of coinsavings bank.

The object of my present invention. is to devise an .attractive form ofcoin savings bank that is of such comparatively simple construction thatit can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost and, at the same timeis of an attractive appearance so that it is well adapted for use .as apremium or advertisement, as for instance as part of a savings system orcampaign for introducing any product of merchandise to the consumer.

Other objects will appear from the following description and claim whenconsidered together with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my present form of savings bank;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a View taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

It is to be understood that the present form of disclosure is merely forthe purpose of illustration and that there might be devised Variousmodications thereof without departing from the spirit of my invention asherein set forth and claimed.

As Will be observed from the accompanying drawing, my present form ofdevice comprises only live parts in all, namely a one-piece bottommember, a one-piece front Iwall member, a onepiece rear Wall member, aone-piece intermediate compartment member, which provides also the endwalls, and a one-piece top member. Each of these five parts may be madeof plastic or any other suitable material.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in detail, the upper surface ofthe bottom member l may be formed with depressions at its four cornersand along its four sides for the purpose of receiving the lower edges ofthe front, rear and side Wall members which may be cemented in suchassembly. The front wall member 2 may be transparent so as to displaytherethrough the scale provided upon the card or sheet 3 which isapplied to the front face of the rear wall member 4. Between the frontand rear wall members there is positioned an intermediate one-piecemember 5 formed with integral vertically disposed substantiallycylindrical coin compartments of diiierent sizes for the purpose ofreceiving and holding coins of different denominations, as for instancenickels, dimes and quarters, as herein indicated. That is to say, thesecompartments have their rear walls of cylindrical form and their sidewalls of straight and parallel form and arrangement, as clearlyindicated in Fig. 4

of the drawing. This coin-compartment member is also of transparentmaterial so as to render the scale 3 visible therethrough from the frontof the bank. The intermediate coin-compartment member 5 has formedintegrally therewith the end wall portions 5a, and the intermediatemember 5 is engaged between the front and rear wall members 2 and 4.

The top member 6 is formed of one piece and has provided in the topthereof a plurality of coin slots l of different sizes which arearranged directly above the several coin compartments, respectively. Theunder-side of the top member 6 is formed with suitable depressions toreceive the top edges of the front, rear and side wall members forinterlocking engagement therewith; and at the rear of the top memberthere is provided a depending hook portion 8 for co-operation with therearwardly extending parallel pins 9 at the top part of the rear wallmember so as to form together the equivalent of a hasp and staplecombination for a miniature pad lock I0.

Extending along and applied to the under-side of the top member, in theneighborhood of the series of coin slots l, there is a strip I I ofsuitable material with integral tabs I2 extending across the severalcoin slots, these tabs being sufficiently resilient to permit insertionof the coins but adapted to prevent the removal of the same therefrom.That is to say, these tabs Will yield to the pressure of the coins asthey are inserted through the slots but, by virtue of their resilientnature, will return at once to position across the slots as soon as thecoin in each instance has passed the same; and these tabs will normallyremain in slot-closing position so that it is impossible to shake themoney out of the bank through these slots. The only authorized manner inwhich to remove the coins from the bank is to unlock the top member andremove the same.

By making these severalparts of plastic material, they may be molded ofany suitable or desired form and color, including for instance thepillars or columns at the front corners in simulation of the front of acommercial bank building. Also, the top of the bank may be utilized fordisplaying the name of the company that is promoting the advertisingsystem which includes the use of this bank as part thereof.

As the coins are dropped through the slots 1, they will of themselvesfall into flat position and pile up in the coin compartments, in eachinstance. Then, as the coins accumulate in these compartments, thetransparency of the front and intermediate members will permit theamount of the coins in each pile to be observed according to the heightof the pile with respect to th/e amounts indicated upon the chart orscale at the rear of the bank. The amount indicated by the line of thechart that corresponds with the level of the top of the pile of coins,in each instance, will be the amount of money represented thereby. Thus,not only is this form of bank unique in that the coins may be viewedtherein, but also the amount of money in each compartment may be quicklyand accurately observed at any time Without disturbing the normalcondividual rear Wall portions and integral parallel straight partitionWall portions and integrally formed end wall members parallel with saidparton Wall portions, interengaging means between said top and bottommembers and said front, rear and end Wall members for securing the samein assembly, and one of said members having coin slots into the severalindividual coin compartments.

CLAUD A. THOMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 682,740 Peters Sept. 17, 1901793,779 Fisher July 4, 1905 2,426,966 Cale Sept. 2, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 380,257 Great Britain Sept. 15, 1932 469,405 GermanyApr. 30, 1927

